A construction permit is required for all work that is not considered minor work. Jobs such as reroofing, siding, water heater and boiler replacement, as well as any renovations, new electrical or plumbing work, structural changes, etc… require a permit. Work such as house painting, replacement of roof drainage systems and repairs or replacement of less than 25% of roofing are a few examples of minor work. For questions about construction permits, please contact the Building Department at (973) 378-7715 ext. 7700.

When your permit application is ready to be picked up and paid for, you will be contacted immediately. We work to process all permit applications as promptly as possible. If you have not been contacted, your permit application is still in the review process. When there are errors on the process, you will be contacted by our office.

No work can begin until a yellow place card is presented. This means that all plans and applications have been approved, and all fees have been paid. The rare exception is if it’s an emergency and the resident is without hot water or heat. In this occasion, work may begin prior to the permit being issued, however the Building Department office must be notified and an application must be submitted within 48 hours.

Inspections for issued permits are made mostly on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Please click here to see our inspection schedule. All inspections are scheduled for the time available when the caller contacts the office. Messages left on voicemail will not be scheduled. Specific appointments will not be made. A time frame on the day of inspection is all that can be provided.

The owner or his/her agent, a licensed engineer, architect, or plumbing, electrical or other contractor employed in connection with the proposed work can apply for a permit. If the application is by a person other than the owner in fee, it shall be accompanied by an affidavit of the owner or the authorized person making the application, that the proposed work is authorized by the owner in fee, and that the applicant is authorized to make such application. All issued permits shall remain the property of the owner even if the application was made by a contractor or authorized agent.

It depends on what type of work is involved. State law requires that the Building Department review your application within twenty (20) working days of receipt. If the permit requires zoning approval, the Zoning Official has ten (10) working days for her/his approval prior to being reviewed by the building officials. Smaller projects may not require as much time.

On weekdays between 7:30 A.M. and 7:00 P.M.; Saturdays between 8:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M., or between 8:00 A.M. and 7:00 P.M. when the work is being done by an occupant owner of the premises; Sundays between 9:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M., or between 9:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M. when the work is being done by an occupant owner of the premises.

Yes, if you are the owner occupant of a single family home you can be your own contractor. You will want to contact the building department to find out if any permits are required for the work you are doing and if so, you can complete the permit as a homeowner, and (if needed) prepare your own plans. Plans for multiple family dwellings and commercial properties require an architect's seal.

No; you need to contact your mortgage company or attorney who did your property closing. You might also check your title insurance papers for an attached copy of your survey. The Building Department would only have a copy of your survey if you did work on the property in the past that required a copy of the document. There are no other Township or County departments that keep your survey on file.

Yes. In order to find out if there is/was an oil storage tank on the property you should complete an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) form in the Municipal Clerk's office in Town Hall. The Building Department cannot give property information to a person who does not own the property.

Once the OPRA request has been received by the Clerk's office, they will send it to our office; within seven (7) business days we will advise you if we have records available for your review. There is only a fee if you request printed copies of records.

a. No. There is no on-street parking allowed over-night between 2am and 6am. 152-11.1. (A)b. In one of our Municipal lots or the Third Street Garage.c. Yes. A fee of $5.00 per day.d. Yes. This fee covers both day and night for one 24 hour period.e. In person or by credit card over the phone during regular business hours Mon- Fri 8:30 to 4:30.

You can pay as you go - $2 each way (exact amount, drivers do not make change). Or purchase an Annual pass for $300, only available in the parking office. Borderline Residents can also purchase an Annual (non-resident) pass for a fee of $450.

Meter feeding is paying for “additional” time on a meter over what is allowed. For example; you park at a meter that is one (1) hour only for 50¢ per hour maximum time. At the end of your hour you put another 50¢ in to buy an additional hour worth of time; that is “meter feeding”. (108-8A)

Currently there are long waiting lists for any commuter permit. You are eligible to place your name on any of the waiting lists as long as you qualify. The waiting time is approximately five (5) years. When your name comes off the list, you are sent a letter notifying you that you can receive a permit.

A prospective buyer would not be expected to purchase a property without first making a careful inspection. Similarly, and individual ordering an appraisal expects that a thorough inspection will be made before a market value estimate of the property is rendered. Equitable reassessment depends on the cooperation of taxpayers. Property owners have a stake in the outcome of the reassessment program. Interior inspections, especially, require that residents cooperate with the property inspectors. The validity of the market vale estimate depends on the collection of accurate data.Remember the people making the inspections are not necessarily responsible for developing the market value estimate. Their job at time of inspection is to collect pertinent information to be used in valuation process.

Both the interior and exterior of each property are usually physically inspected, and building dimensions are noted during this process. In addition, recent sales of properties are studied and may be adjusted to estimate the value of property that has not been sold. Property typically purchases for investment purposes, is analyzed in terms of its income-producing capability. In short, all information believed to have an influence on value will be gathered, reviewed and analyzed in order to make a proper determination of each property's full and fair value.

A reassessment program seeks to spread the tax burden equitably within a municipality. Real property must be assessed at the same standard of value to ensure that every property owner is paying his or her fair share of the property tax.

Full and fair value is the price at which the tax assessor believes a property would sell at a fair and bona fide sale by a private contract on October 1st of the pre tax year. the sale must be between a willing buyer and a willing seller.

If you are dissatisfied with your assessment, you can file a formal appeal in 2017 with the Essex County Board of Taxation, which must be received prior to May 1, 2017. Your appeal will be heard by a Commissioner of the Board of Taxation; and, you will be given an opportunity to state the reasons you believe your assessment is inaccurate. After reviewing the facts presented, the Board will render a decision as to whether an adjustment is in order.

If you are not satisfied with the decision of the Board of Taxation, you have the right to file an appeal with the Tax Court of the State of New Jersey. This must be done within 45 days of your notification. This step in the process is formal, taking place in a courtroom setting before a Tax Court Judge.

Under State law, the actual tax on a property cannot be appealed. However, an aggrieved property owner can file an appeal with regard to the assessment of value. The tax rate and a tax assessment are two distinctly different things, which sometimes are confused. The tax rate is determined by the dollar amount needed to operate South Orange, our School District, and Essex County, while the tax assessment provides the value upon which to apportion the taxes. Taxpayers can appeal a tax assessment, but not a tax rate.

You can only get a South Orange Avenue Zone permit. It is for students and staff of the University for parking right on South Orange Avenue near the main gate between the signs that designate that zone. It’s only valid Monday - Saturday 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. It’s not valid anywhere else in town.

Property taxes are due on 2/1, for the 1st quarter covering January, February, and March, 5/1, for the 2nd quarter, covering April, May, and June, 8/1, for the 3rd quarter, covering July, August and September and 11/1 for the 4th quarter, covering October, November and December. There is a 10 day grace period for each quarter and an extension to the next business day if the grace period falls on a holiday or weekend. We do not accept postmarks. Late fees will apply from the originally due date if payment is not received by the end of the grace period.

NOTE: Failure to receive a tax bill does not exempt you from paying taxes or the interest on delinquent taxes.

Taxes can be paid by check, cash or money order. You may also pay your tax online at our secured website. South Orange does not accept credit card payments at this time, any online payment requires your checking account information.Any tax sale item must be paid by cash, money order or certified check.

Taxes are billed and mailed out once a year. You may get a third quarter estimated bill which is mailed in June and a final bill which goes out in September. If you are a new owner, please contact the tax office for a duplicate bill. We do not know who you are until the deed comes through. If you have a mortgage company, an advice copy of the bill is always sent to you.

All questions concerning tax appeal should be directed to the Assessor’s Office 973-378-7715, ext. 7729.

For your convenience, you may download tax appeal forms and instructions online or you may pick up forms or send a self stamped addressed envelope to the Tax board at the following address:Essex County Board of Taxation50 South Clinton Street, Suite 5200East Orange, NJ 07018

You can request a payoff figure from the tax office with a payment date along with the certificate number and property information. We prefer that you make the request in writing. If you plan to make the payment in person, please make your request for payoff 24 hours before you come in. Redemption request may be faxed to 973-761-1438.

You should receive a letter from the Tax Assessor after you obtain the certificate of occupancy from the Building department. The letters will advise you of the additional assessed value and the year/s involved. The added assessment bill will be issued by the Tax Collector in October, and it is due November 1st of the current year and you will also have the preliminary bills for the 1st and second quarter of the following year which are due February 1st and May 1st respectively. This bill will be combined with your regular bill in the second half of the following year.

Bill payment instructions will be included in your new bill from American Water. You will have a number of options for how to pay including; online, by phone, or by mail. *In Person at South Orange Village Hall: The Village does not directly accept payments at the window but will allow access to South Orange Village Water Utility customer accounts via a laptop or telephone located at the counter. You will need an online account for the online web access. Checking or credit card (Visa or Master Card) are acceptable payment methods. For residential customers billing will continue to be on a quarterly basis. www.amwater.com/SouthOrange to pay your bill online.

The East Orange Water Commission (EOWC) previously operated the Village’s water system until December 31st, 2016. If you have a question regarding a bill from that period contact EOWC directly at 973-266-8869.

The vast majority of water South Orange receives is from surface water and well water near AW’s Canoe Brook Water Treatment Plant in Millburn, NJ. Wells near the Water Treatment Plant (WTP) feed directly into the clearwell at the plant and are blended with the treated surface water at the WTP before entering the distribution system. The particular blend will differ from season to season depending on the demands of the system and may also include surface water from Passaic Valley Water Commission WTP and surface water from NJAW Raritan Millstone WTP.

The Canoe Brook WTP itself was commissioned in 2012 and has a total net capacity of 22 million gallons a day. Surface water and ground water are treated using a high rated Dissolved Air Flotation clarification process with Ozone pre-oxidation while taste and odor control are managed with pre-ozone and granular activated carbon filters with powder activated carbon as a back-up.

In addition, South Orange will improve our local water supply by investing in a complete rehabilitation of Well #17 as well as installation of a GAC (granular activated carbon) filtration system to treat Well #17 and remove the majority of contaminants including PFOA’s and VOC’s.

The water is somewhat softer. The water we received from East Orange Water Commission was primarily well water whereas the water we receive from American Water is primarily surface (reservoir) water. This means AW’s supply is somewhat softer water although it is very difficult to say if you will be able to appreciate that difference in your daily life. For the purposes of comparison AW reports the hardness of water for our area as typically between 140 - 160 parts per million (ppm). EOWC reports their water hardness to be around 320 ppm.

American Water: http://www.amwater.com/twq/shorthillsirvingtonlivingston_twq.pdf

As water meters age and wear down they do not measure the amount of water that passes through them as accurately as when they were new. That means the customer does not have any accurate reflection of their actual usage and the water company does not bill for the correct amount. South Orange Village and American Water intend to install modern meters that can be read more accurately, more frequently, with less in home intrusion by workers. This will result in a more accurate bill for all parties.

The Village is working with American Water and our engineering consultants at HDR Inc. (http://www.hdrinc.com) on a variety of projects to improve the overall system. Those projects include, leak detection, building a pumping station and pipeline, and hydrant repairs. Over the next few years we also plan to upgrade and repair most of the major elements of our long neglected water infrastructure and do so using low cost bonds from New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust (NJEIT) which will be repaid via water revenues, not tax dollars. ( Infrastructure Upgrades: http://www.southorange.org/574/Infrastructure-Maintenance-Projects) Infrastructure Upgrades

Yes. American Water regularly tests for these and many other types of contaminants in their water supply and has invested in technologies to remove them. In addition, South Orange will improve our local water supply by investing in a complete rehabilitation (http://www.southorange.org/574/Infrastructure-Maintenance-Projects) of Well #17 as well as installation of a GAC (granular activated carbon) filtration system to treat well water and remove the majority of contaminants including PFOA’s and VOC’s. Infrastructure Upgrades

American Water tests for lead and copper and has not exceeded the EPA thresholds for compliance with the federal Lead and Copper Rule. It should be noted that the most common source of lead in tap water comes from the corrosion of piping on the customer side of the service connection (i.e. the outdoor service line or the internal plumbing). American Water takes steps to minimize the corrosiveness of its water through improvements in corrosion control. Nevertheless, if you are concerned about the possible presence of lead or copper in your home’s water or for more information on reducing lead exposure around your home, visit the EPA’s Web site at www.epa.gov/lead, call the National Lead Information Center at 800-424-LEAD, or contact your health care provider.

American Water routinely tests its water supply for total chromium and all results have been in compliance with the USEPA standards. The following quote is taken from American Water’s website regarding chromium.

“At American Water, we take water quality and safety very seriously. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and state drinking water programs set water quality standards designed to protect public health and American Water treats your water to meet or surpass these standards, including those set for chromium.

The USEPA does not have specific drinking water regulations for chromium-6, only total chromium, which includes consideration of the health effects due to chromium-6. American Water routinely tests its water supply for total chromium and all results have been in compliance with the USEPA standards. We also voluntarily sample for chromium-6 in accordance with USEPA guidance.

American Water is supporting national research through the Water Research Foundation to better monitor and treat for chromium-6. The USEPA is also conducting a rigorous and comprehensive review of health effects of chromium-6. Our water quality experts are closely following this research and if necessary, will be ready to implement changes in our testing and treatment.

Water quality results on chrome-6 and other parameters can be found on American Water’s website http://amwater.com/water-quality-and-stewardship/payment-locations.html . Enter your zip code or city/state to get information on your specific water quality. There you will find the annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) and a basic water quality summary with links to additional information on chrome-6.”